Anyone hear the 30.7? Impressions? Make sense to spend THAT Money on a Magnepan?
- Thread starter caesar
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Interesting thread. I have wondered the same thing myself. Will be interested to see if anybody posts their impressions.
When you say "that money"; I agree with you that the new 30.7's are a lot of money, but in this hobby and looking at other speaker manufacturer's wares, they are almost at the low end of the price scale...amazing as that may sound!! Crazy where this hobby has gone and continues to go...IMHO.
When you say "that money"; I agree with you that the new 30.7's are a lot of money, but in this hobby and looking at other speaker manufacturer's wares, they are almost at the low end of the price scale...amazing as that may sound!! Crazy where this hobby has gone and continues to go...IMHO.
Yes, it is indeed an interesting product for them because it is out of character to their prior practices. Magnepans have always been marketed as the "value" brand" in high end audio - something that delivers 80%+ of what the big boys do for 10% of the price. And I was always under the impression that Magnepan was mostly for the middle class audiophiles who can't really afford more than $7-10K on a system, or the "millionaire next door" types, who lead a life of asceticism, and then die with a lot of money. Now that Magnepan releases $30K speakers, and they have to convince the ascetic to "let go" and upgrade.
Yet a rational person shopping at that higher price point will consider multiple options at that $30K price point.
Yet a rational person shopping at that higher price point will consider multiple options at that $30K price point.
Even at that price I am sure they are the usual relative Magnepan bargain in terms of sound quality for money.
The speakers are relatively affordable.... the expensive part is the big ass room they need to really shine!!
Heard the 30.7 speakers for quite some time last night at a private event at Definitive Audio. I sat in 4 different places and each one yielded a slightly different take on the music. I liked all of them! The room was approx. 16' wide and the speakers were all the way against the wall in front and the sides. They were powered by the stereo D'Agostino Progression pre and amp. We listened to both dCS digital and analog from a Clearaudio Innovation with an optical cart. The speakers handled dynamics quite well and soft passages were very clear and defined. Image placement was spot on. Whether it was a solo artist or grand orchestra, the 30.7 speakers handled it. This is one mega buck speaker slayer!!
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Nice report, Bruce. Did you feel that some of the instruments were a 'lot larger than life' with these speakers. I have heard the Tympani's present images this way...i.e a guitar sounds as large as a double bass, voice is stretched way across the stage, etc.,
Possibly room and placement dependent??
Possibly room and placement dependent??
I hate this effect as well. These were very accurate to size/scale. Double bass/guitar was maybe 2-3' wide... not 8' like a lot I've heard.
Thanks for the info on your experience Bruce. I’d previously thought the D’Agostino progression might be a particularly great match with Maggie’s. Would love to have heard this.
Though I’m super surprised about the speaker placement here. Close to side walls is never generally an issue for Maggie’s in setup but anywhere near close to the rear wall is usually the absolute death of what the Maggies can really do when setup properly. Sub optimal is a kind way of putting it but truth be told once you have pulled these super coherent dipoles properly deep into a room (often optimally a minimum of somewhere around 6 to 8 feet in every room that I have dialled 20.7s and 3.7s in) you’d not ever go back... and while these are a four panel setup I can’t see why these would work at their best this way. Curious.
Though I’m super surprised about the speaker placement here. Close to side walls is never generally an issue for Maggie’s in setup but anywhere near close to the rear wall is usually the absolute death of what the Maggies can really do when setup properly. Sub optimal is a kind way of putting it but truth be told once you have pulled these super coherent dipoles properly deep into a room (often optimally a minimum of somewhere around 6 to 8 feet in every room that I have dialled 20.7s and 3.7s in) you’d not ever go back... and while these are a four panel setup I can’t see why these would work at their best this way. Curious.
This room was definitely too small for this system. They were about 4-5" from the side walls and about 18" from the front wall. Like I said in an earlier post, the major cost of having a system of this magnitude would be the big ass room that you would need. I'm sure the 30.7 would be greatly improved by giving it more space to breathe.
Letting them breathe is exactly the way to describe it. Looking forward to hearing them for sure. The 20.7s can still work great in a reasonable room say around 4.5m x 6m (14 x 20 feet) but space is the final frontier for sure with full range panels.
Here's the funny thing, you can tell the guys at Magnepan are from Minnesota. Why, because they have just designed one of the most expensive speaker systems on the planet. In S.CAlif, the speakers will cost you $30K; but the room will add another $1Million or more!!
Luckily, the rooms in other parts of the country will be less$$
Luckily, the rooms in other parts of the country will be less$$
Here's the funny thing, you can tell the guys at Magnepan are from Minnesota. Why, because they have just designed one of the most expensive speaker systems on the planet. In S.CAlif, the speakers will cost you $30K; but the room will add another $1Million or more!!
Luckily, the rooms in other parts of the country will be less$$
In the Boston area where I live you also have spend that much money to get a house with a room suitable for that speaker. But then, such a room would also be suitable for a Magico M6 (I wouldn't want to cramp that speaker in a small room either). So in the end, if you can afford a room suitable for a 30.7 you can also afford a Magico M6. So why then not go for the latter? And like I would do for a 30.7 as well, add a second system in a smaller room for more intimate music?
Here's the funny thing, you can tell the guys at Magnepan are from Minnesota. Why, because they have just designed one of the most expensive speaker systems on the planet. In S.CAlif, the speakers will cost you $30K; but the room will add another $1Million or more!!
Luckily, the rooms in other parts of the country will be less$$
I would bet that the guitarist is STILL 3-4 foot wide. While this type of system appeals to some? Eh, not quite realistic for me.
Tom
Tom, That is what I would have thought too...however, Maggie's have gotten a lot better dealing with this problem lately. I recently heard some Maggie 1.7's that did not elicit the issue at all. In fact I thought they were great speakers...and not just for the money. I'm going to hold off on further thoughts about the 30.7 until I have the opportunity to hear them for myself...hopefully in a gigantic room, LOL.
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